


Naming Rights

by katmarajade



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Career Change, F/M, Female Character of Color, Female Protagonist, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 04:49:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5116199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katmarajade/pseuds/katmarajade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Padma takes a job at Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. No one seems to understand her choice except, for some strange reason, George.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Naming Rights

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a last minute entry for Prompts of Color at [](http://hp-diversity.livejournal.com/profile)[hp_diversity](http://hp-diversity.livejournal.com/), where I'm getting this in right under the wire! Unbetaed due to time constraints and wanting to get this in before the fun ended!

When Padma left her job as a Potions Mistress at the shop she and Parvati had started along with Lavender Brown to work at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, no one could figure out why. Her parents bemoaned the pay cut and loss of prestige, so proud they were of their daughter's impressive education and title. Her twin sister thought her mad for wanting to "play around and blow stuff up" with the Weasley twins of all people. Even Fred Weasley seemed to eye her curiously, as if couldn't understand why a reserved, proper, too-serious-for-her-own-good woman like Padma would want a job developing joke products, full of fun and ridiculousness and a lot of pranks.

George, however, seemed to understand her straight away. Sometimes when she'd present her new ideas or a polished version of one of the products mentioned in a brainstorming session, he'd give her a little smirk. He somehow could tell how she thrived on thinking outside the box and solving problems.

"We're a lot alike," he said a few days in, and she merely rolled her eyes. When he said it again a few weeks later, she couldn't help but think he might be right.

While silly and exuberant, George was definitely the more cerebral of the twins. Padma understood that all too well. She also understood how easy it was to get pulled in by a more charismatic twin and how one could become something else, something both less and greater, when part of a duo. Part of her loved being with Parvati, because it made her feel braver, stronger, wilder, and _more_. But part of her stubbornly held onto her individuality, wanting desperately to prove herself as Padma and not just one half of The Patil Twins.

When she presented a new sweet that made a person's hair blow up into a huge marshmallow puff and then explode, getting goo everywhere and keeping the person's original hair intact, Fred couldn't stop raving about the amazing explosion and the fantastic mess it made. George praised her carefully brewed base and her skilled Charmwork. Then he gave her a secret little smile and said softly, "Isn't it amazing to create something all your own like that?"

Her heart pounded, and she grinned. _Yes_. He'd just explained exactly why she took the position. He understood!

As weeks went on, she started returning his secret smiles, and they shared little laughs when Fred's grandiose plans and obsession with explosive devices got a bit over the top. Sometimes she noticed Fred watching them curiously, as if he didn't quite understand what was going on or why George was suddenly more George-like and less Forge-like when Padma was around.

Padma kept creating, developing increasingly impressive joke sweets and then moving on to personal care items. Verity complained that she couldn't find a decent hair serum to help tame her bushy hair-- SleekEazy was not designed with black women's hair in mind, and it took hours and numerous applications to achieve the shining curls Verity wanted and left her scalp tingling uncomfortably afterward. So Padma created one herself. Then she developed an entire line of wizarding hair products specifically designed for women of colour.

She got into her first proprietary argument with the Weasley twins when she wanted to sell her products the Potions shop that Parvati and Lavender ran (and of which Padma remained part owner). Fred and George were strongly opposed, claiming that all products developed in their shop should belong to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

It took two weeks, a word-by-word dissection of her contract with them, and sheer stubbornness, but Padma gained first George's support and finally Fred's as well. Not only was she given her own small share in the company, but she was given the proprietary rights to all products she designed with the caveat that each product retained a small Developed at WWW logo on the back.

Running high on adrenaline after her success, Padma decided she had earned a celebratory drink. Before she could head out to the Leaky Cauldron, however, George appeared in her private area of the laboratory with a bottle of her favourite Cabernet and two glasses.

"A toast," he declared after she accepted the drink.

"To a new partnership," she said with a smile.

"To a new partnership," George repeated, but his tone and the intense look in his eyes implied a very different meaning.

Taking a sip of her wine, Padma watched him carefully, the slightest smirk playing on his lips even when he was still and his pupils wide, framed by a narrow band of azure.

"You are incredible," he finally said, an uncharacteristic blush appearing on his cheeks.

"Are you surprised?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and taking another sip.

"You know, I feel like I should be, but for some reason, I'm not. I mean, I knew you were clever—perhaps even cleverer than Fred and I, which is saying something, let me tell you! But not only are you just as clever as we are—and just as pretty."

She let out a snort of laughter and felt Cabernet tickle her sinuses. "Prettier," she said firmly.

George screwed up his face in mock indecision but eventually inclined his head in agreement. "A tiny bit prettier."

She nodded in approval and he continued.

"But you've got business acumen, skills in both Potions _and_ Charms, and you actually bested us in a battle of wills, which I can't ever remember having happened before. Well, at least since we left home. Mum won her share of battles—but that's not the point. You, Padma Patil, would make a worthy adversary and you make an even worthier partner."

"Partner," she repeated. "I'm your partner and Fred's."

George scrunched up his nose slightly at that. "Well, yes. In a purely business sense, you're partner to both of us, but Fred doesn't appreciate you like I do. He doesn't see just how brilliant you are, the intricacies of your work. He's the big idea man—the one who can put on a show and charm everyone. I'm the behind-the-scenes man. I see the details. And I see _you_. The question is, do you see me?"

"Yes, I see you," she said carefully. "You're George, the slightly cooler of my bosses."

"You're right about the cooler bit, but I'm not your boss anymore. You're a partner now."

"So you'll be adding Patil to the company name?"

"Er, no. According to our negotiations, the company name stays but you get the Padma's Potions line and reasonable naming rights to future products."

"I know, George. I'm teasing," she said, smiling warmly.

"Oh, right." He let out a sigh of relief and then took another deep breath before saying very quickly, "Do you think you'd like to go out with me sometime?"

"Like a date?" Padma asked curiously, surprised and yet somehow _not_ by the revelation.

"Yes." It was only because she'd come to know his face so well that she could see the faint hints of nervousness hiding in his expression.

"I don't know," she said thoughtfully, tilting her head. "It depends on whether this is a ploy where you woo and marry me to make me a Weasley so there wouldn't be any further arguments about naming rights."

George turned nearly maroon, and his mouth gaped open and snapped shut over and over like a fish. Seeing the unflappable George Weasley speechless caused Padma to laugh with delight.

"I'm kidding!" she assured him with a smile. "I'd love to go out with you. Fancy grabbing a curry right now to test the waters?"

"Yes!" George exclaimed, his usual confidence having returned in full force with her affirmative response.

Halfway out the door, she turned back and said innocently, "I'll be keeping my name, by the way."

Blushing fiercely, George just nodded.


End file.
